The influence of cleansing shampoos on ethyl glucuronide ( ETG) concentrations in hair analyzed with an optimized and validated LC-MS/MS method
Science Direct
Introduction
Ethyl glucuronide (EtG) is a widely accepted biomarker used to monitor alcohol consumption and abstinence. However, there has been a growing concern regarding individuals attempting to circumvent EtG testing through various methods such as bleaching, dyeing, shaving, or straightening their hair. In this study, we aimed to investigate the efficacy of four specialized cleansing shampoos marketed as "detox" products, which claim to reduce ethyl glucuronide concentrations in hair.
Methods
To conduct our analysis, we developed an optimized LC-MS/MS (Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry) method utilizing a hypercarb® porous graphitic carbon (PGC) column. The method was validated following the guidelines set by the German Society of Toxicological and Forensic Chemistry. We obtained a total of 25 real case hair samples, including 21 positive samples with ethyl glucuronide concentrations (cETG) ranging from 7-288 pg/mg and 4 negative samples with cETG levels below the limit of detection (LOD) set at 1 pg/mg. Each hair sample was divided into two strands, one treated with a selected cleansing shampoo and the other left untreated.
Results
Our findings revealed that a single application of any of the four tested cleansing shampoos did not result in significant differences in ethyl glucuronide concentrations in hair. EtG was still detectable in all hair samples at similar levels as before treatment. These results unequivocally demonstrate that the application of these cleansing shampoos, individually, did not remove or reduce the presence of EtG in hair, and therefore had no impact on the measured EtG concentrations.
Conclusion
In this study, we employed an LC-MS/MS method to examine the effects of "detox" shampoos on ethyl glucuronide concentrations in hair. The results of our investigation indicate that none of the four selected shampoos had any influence on the detected levels of EtG in hair. It is evident from our findings that a single application of these shampoos does not effectively remove EtG from hair. Therefore, individuals seeking to evade EtG testing should be aware that using these specific cleansing shampoos alone is unlikely to yield the desired outcome. Further research and alternative strategies are necessary to counteract attempts at subverting EtG detection.
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